| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Madison, Mt. Adams, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Valley Way, Osgood Trail, Gulfside, Airline, Lowes Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable) |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Easy but rocks were icy |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Found a frozen glove on upper part of Valley Way. It was is a frozen ball and hasn't thawed out yet so I cant' tell if it's right or left or the brand |
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 | Comments: |
Spikes from the parking lot all the way up and back. Snowshoes would not have been helpful today and would have been treacherous on the sidehills higher up. The entire trail is well packed and solid. The upper part of Valley Way is actually more difficult than when I did it two week ago. There is still 4' of hard packed snow on the upper half. [Which is why snowshoes should be standard equipment for safety purposes]. The snow has formed a steep side hill so the flat treadway is way over on one side and you have to stay way over on the uphill side to avoid slipping down it. (A solo hiker we met near there had dropped his sunglasses down the side hill and one of us actually used an ice axe to get down and the hill and retrieve it.) Unfortunately, having to stay way over on the uphill side means you are often pushing through tree tops with potential for snap back or poked eyes. Valley Way is mostly nice hard packed snow but has patches of ice that were slippery on the way down even though I was wearing spikes that were almost brand new. There is one serious ice flow just above Watson Path that is hard to avoid. One of us fell at that spot and I had 3 minor slips elsewhere. Once you get above treeline it is a mix of dry rocks, hard packed snow, and ice. I continued to use sharp spikes but rock spikes might have been better. The top of Airline just before the summit of Adams had icy patches where sharp spikes weren't providing much traction so we decided to go down Lowes Path to Thunderstorm Jct and take Gulfside back from there. There was no ice on Lowes Path and I think it was easier than backtracking down Airline. Despite this long report, I actually think the conditions are quite good for April in the Presidentials. |
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 | Name: |
Rick Simmons |
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 | E-Mail: |
RickNH1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-04-02 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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